Terre Pruitt's Blog

In the realm of health, wellness, fitness, and the like, or whatever inspires me.

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Archive for May, 2013

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Creamy Dreamy Cold Fruit Dessert

Posted by terrepruitt on May 14, 2013

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, ZumbaOh my!!! Easy-peasy, just takes forethought of freezing the bananas!

The recipe is from the Blendtec website – I am not sure it is in my recipe book because I think the Twister Jar is new!

Appliances:  Blendtec blender and Twister Jar

INGREDIENTS
2 bananas , peeled, quartered and frozen

INSTRUCTIONS
Peel and quarter bananas; freeze until solid. Add frozen, quartered banana pieces to Twister jar, and place lid on jar. Hold lid firmly with one hand, and with the other hand press “Pulse” 15–20 times or until smooth. Turn Twister lid counterclockwise during blending. Serve with fresh berries, drizzle with syrup, or sprinkle with granola for a little crunch.

——————–

Well, I don’t have a twisted jar and for $200, I probably won’t until I am rolling in the dough.  But I did look at a video of someone making “ice cream” with just fruit (bananas and strawberries) . . . . so somewhat the same thing as this, but with strawberries . . . and the twister jar is cool.  I makes the fruit very creamy AND I think it does it without heating it up too much.

I just made this recently and it was a little melty.  I think that might be because the blender does get a little warm.  That is why it can make hot soup.

Anyway . . . . I made it with two frozen bananas and a little splash of milk in my Wildside Jar.  I just let the blender blend on 1 until it was only blending “smooth”, then I stopped it and pushed the bananas close to the blade, then blended until it was only blending “smooth”, etc.  I probably did it about four times.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, ZumbaI was thinking if I didn’t want the bananas to be melty I could put them back in the freezer for a bit.

I had my bananas with almond slivers and chocolate port wine sauce.  My hubby skipped the almonds.

We don’t usually have dessert so when I told him after dinner we were having dessert he said, “No thanks.”  I knew he would say that because I told him RIGHT after dinner.  So we were full from dinner.  But I also knew that by the time I made it he would want some AND he would be interested because it was frozen fruit.  He is not much of a dessert eater and does not like cake and things like that so I know that won’t interest him, but he really likes bananas.  Also he is very supportive of my experiments with the blender so he was more than willing to try it.   I waited a couple of hours before making it.  He was happy and a bit surprised that it was JUST bananas (oh, the little bit of milk — I bet it was only about two tablespoons.  Next time I will measure.)

Of course, as I mentioned about the video I saw with the twister jar in it, they used strawberries.  I imagine you can use any berry you want.  You could probably use any fruit you want.  I am not a berry person or a sherbet person, so I will stick to bananas.  Awww, well, I guess, I should try some other fruit because my hubby likes it.  Yeah, I’ll do that . . . eventually.

The next time I make this though I am going to use three bananas!  And I will measure the milk and report back.

So what do you think about fruit ice “cream”?  Could you see yourself enjoying a dish?  What would you put in yours?

Posted in "Recipes", Food | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments »

Quick Soak Beans

Posted by terrepruitt on May 11, 2013

As you might know, I purchased some dried garbanzo beans.  I thought I would go the dried bean route and try to avoid the canned because of the stuff they say is in the can that you should avoid.  But then I didn’t know how to process them.  A quick search on the internet said I needed to soak them for at least 4 hours or that I could do a “Quick” Soak Method.  Well, I did the soaking method a few weeks ago and I have been meaning to do the “Quick” Soak Method but I have not had time.  I mean, honestly, putting beans in a bowl and letting them soak for however long—until I am ready to use them—seems so much easier than boiling them on the stove.  Well when I finally went to do the “Quick” Soak Method I looked it up again and one blog said to boil them, rinse them, let them set for an hour, then boil them again, rinse them, let them set for an hour . . . . I was failing to see the QUICK in that method at all.  Then I found one that said boil them until they had little bubbles then let them set for an hour then rinse them. Ok, that is more like it, but still, I had to be in the kitchen to watch for the bubbles.  In the “long” soak method, I left them to soak unsupervised.  I am thinking that the “Quick” Soak Method might be quicker, but to me it is not easier.

So I followed the directions I found on About.com:

Rinse beans in cold water. Put them in a large pot and cover with about 3 inches of cold water. Bring almost to a boil (small bubbles appear around the edges of the pot), cover, and remove from heat. Let sit for 1 hour. Drain. The beans will be “soaked” and ready to cook.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, ZumbaI actually let them sit for TWO hours because when I poked them they didn’t seem very soft.  What I have been seeing articles say is that if the beans looked shriveled to begin with they will not get soft.  Well, one of the reasons I don’t like beans is because of the texture.  I don’t like soft and mushy.  So I really think I like the dried beans because they don’t get that soft.

This time I managed to NOT burn them when I cooked them.  I like the roasted chickpeas crunchy.  So I really like this dried bean route.  I think I will use them from now on.  I will have a few cans on hand in case I don’t remember to soak them in advance, but really if I don’t remember to soak my beans in advance the “Quick Soak Method” is not going to help me.  It doesn’t really save that much time.  I mean, if the “long” soak method only requires four hours and most “Quick” soaks require at least 90 minutes . . . . I think I can plan ahead.  I might even try freezing some that I have soaked.

Anyway . . . the end result to me, is that either soaking method results in about the same type of textured bean and the “Quick” Soak is not quick or easier enough for me.  I like the put-them-in-a-bowl-full-of-water-and forget-about-them-method better.

Now I need to try it with other beans, right?  Since the only other bean I eat is kidney beans, I will try it with them . . . . eventually.  But I will skip the “Quick Soak Method” and just use the overnight one.

How about you?  Do you have a preferred method for soaking your beans?   

Posted in Food | Tagged: , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Goodie Jar – Check In #15

Posted by terrepruitt on May 10, 2013

If I had started the Good Things Jar at the beginning of the year we would be at Goodie Jar – Check In #19, but I didn’t start my good things jar until February 2013 so we are only at Goodie Jar – Check In #15.  And yes, life gets busy and we forget to focus on the good things, that is why we have a check in.

Some of my notes are pretty small.  I like to use colorful paper!

How is your week going?  Did you have a chance to note a good thing and put it in your Good Things Jar?  Now is your chance!

.Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Zumba

Posted in Good Things in the Goodie Jar, Misc | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

Nia Routines I’ve Learned

Posted by terrepruitt on May 9, 2013

I teach Nia.  I actually like to say I lead Nia because to me teaching a dance is more instructive.  What I think of as teaching is the type of class where the instructor demonstrates a step or two then the students do the steps a few times, then the instructor demonstrates more steps and the students practice them.  Eventually the steps are strung together in a dance.  But in my Nia cardio classes it is just lead follow.  I do – you follow.  I give verbal instructions and/or verbal guides but it is not the type of instructional class where I show you, then you do, then we practice and then we string all the steps together.  So I guess it is not an “instructional” or “instructed” dance class.  But I do teach by example.  You follow my lead.  In order to be a Nia teacher I had to take the Nia White Belt Intensive.  I have talked about this before, but to review the White Belt is the first level of Nia.  The White Belt Intensive is over 50 hours of instruction and is open to anyone.  Individuals do not have to have the intent to teach.  The Nia White Belt Intensive is about the body so anyone is welcome to join and learn.  In order to be a Nia teacher there is an additional licensing fee.  The fee is due annually and it includes four routines that we, as teachers, agree to learn per year.  I was just looking at my DVDs.  I have two routines that I have not learned.  I have 19 that I have learned.  I have been teaching almost four and half years so I am keeping up with the four per year schedule.

Now, I want to clarify that I have learned 19 routines.  That means that I basically did the bars and have shared 19 routines with my students.  That means I roughly know those 19 routines.  I could stand up right now and lead you through some of them, but some of them I would have to look at my bars, and some of them I would have to study my bars.  But I also feel I am better at just doing.  While I want to do the routine as per the choreography, I am not as afraid as I once was to just DO the routine.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, ZumbaWhen I am preparing to do a different routine for my class sometimes I have a chance to practice and sometimes I don’t.  I will look at my bars for each song.  Sometimes I look at the first few lines and think, “Oh yeah, I know this one.”  Then when I am leading it my body and my mind don’t remember it as well as I thought and I just dance through it, but then when I get home I look more closely at my bars or re-watch the DVD.  It really is about moving and having fun.  As long as we are moving and we are doing it close enough then it is good.  Then, like I said, I come home to get the choreography better established in my head and body!

The routines I have learned are:

Alive – Carlos AyaRosas
Amethyst – Debbie Rosas
Aya – Carlos Rosas
Beyond – Debbie Rosas and Ann Christiansen
Birth – Debbie Rosas and Collaborators
Canta – Carlos Rosas
Clarity – Carlos Rosas
White Belt Dream Walker – Carlos Rosas
Earthsong – Carlos Rosas
Global Unity
Humanity – Carlos AyaRosas
Miracle – Carlos Rosas
Opal – Debbie Rosas
Passion – Debbie Rosas and Carlos Rosas
Sanjana – Debbie Rosas
San Medusa – Helen Terry
Sexi – Carlos Rosas
Velvet – Debbie Rosas
Vibe – Debbie Rosas

The names of the routines that I have on my shelf that I need to learn are Butterfly and Oshun.  I just renewed so I have four routines that I need to pick out as my new routines.  Picking routines is always a challenge because everyone has such different tastes.  Some people LOVE, LOVE, LOVE some of the routines I have and I don’t love them.  So for me it is a difficult decision.  I try to pick routines that I think my students will like, but then that is just a guess.  I know which ones they like out of the ones I teach because they request them often.

If you were just picking a routine from the name which one would you pick?  As a Nia student which one out of this list is your favorite?  What about Nia teachers, which is your favorite out of this list?

Posted in Nia | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments »

Positive Denial and Realistic Negativity

Posted by terrepruitt on May 7, 2013

There is such a thin line in regards to so many things.  I recently was listening to a song called “The Thin Line Between Love And Hate.” and while I don’t necessarily believe that, I do believe there is a thin line between being positive and being in denial and being realistic and being negative.  Well, maybe the line is not so thin, but there is a difference.  I believe that a positive attitude can help with a lot of things.  It can help make a situation better.  It can defuse a situation.  It can allow for more positive things to happen.  It can heal.  But at the same time it is important to not be in denial of a situation.  Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, ZumbaEven if there is acknowledgement at some point and then you chose to never look at the situation again because you are concentrating on being positive.  I think that is somewhat ok.  As long as you know somewhere deep inside and can face it when and if you need to.  Then, there is also being realistic.  With some things you just have to face the facts.  It is good to know what is going on.  It is important to know the situation, but that doesn’t mean you are being negative.  There could be a situation in which it is important to look at the facts and make decisions based on those facts even if those “facts” are actually POSSIBLE consequences or outcomes.  Even if they are less than favorable.  I choose to be realistic, but then not dwell on it.  I think dwelling on the less than favorable stuff becomes negative.  And negativity doesn’t really get you anywhere.  It blocks positive energy.  To me, it thwarts your power.  But again . . . there are fine lines between all of this.  And everyone has different limits.  It is so difficult to know people’s limits and their lines.

There could be a situation where you happen to be with the person at their point of being so positive you might think they are in denial.  Sometimes you have to wait these times out to see.  Sometimes it could be that the person will just function better being in that constant endless state of denial.  Sometimes they are just doing what they feel they need to do to get through the situation.  Sometimes they know, but they are being positive.

And it could also be that you happen to be with the person in their state of recognizing and coming to terms with reality and it might appear as if they are super duper negative.  I like to wait that out a bit too.  I am usually so eager to be the cheerleader and start with the “positives” but I also think it is good to be realistic, but I don’t like to “stay” there. In some instances, I feel that I need to not contribute to the reality and just let them state their beliefs or facts they know to be true.

It is all so interesting the human psyche.  Whew.  At times it is difficult to know when to be positive, when to support the denial, and when to contribute to the reality.  I rarely believe in dwelling on the negative, but you might catch me in a moment where I am facing the reality of it and think that I am negative, but give me a few minutes and I am sure I will get back to the positive!

Do you know what I mean?  Ever been in a situation where you have to stop and think about which state you will be in; positive, denial, realistic, or negative?  Ever have to decide where you need to be to be the most helpful?

Posted in Misc | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Sun Salutation – My Way

Posted by terrepruitt on May 4, 2013

The Sun Salutation is a sequence of asanas.  I have not yet included it in any of my Nia classes, but I am thinking about doing so.  In general modern day usage “asana” is what people call a yoga pose.  So the Sun Salutation is a sequence of yoga poses.  Now, if you look up Sun Salutation on the internet you will find a lot of variations.  There are certain asanas that you will consistently find in all of them, but then not all of the Sun Salutations will include the same EXACT ones.  I’ve seen anywhere from 9 to 13 poses in a single salutation.  Since yoga is considered a practice associated with religion, a meditation, a prayer, a movement form, and/or a straight out exercise it makes sense that there are so many difference ways to do the Sun Salutation.  If you are chosing to do the movement as a form of worship it might have different movements than if you are doing it to get a specific physical benefit.  Most of the instructions on how to do it agree that the movements are based on breath.  Inhale here, exhale there.  I have decided on a combination of what I have been trained with, what I have practiced in classes, what I practice at home, several applications, and things I have learned along the way.  I have decided on thirteen movements.  I move using the right leg through 11 asanas, then through them again using the left leg.  Two of the poses making the sequence 13 are only used only in very beginning and the end.

I start in Anjali mudra then go to the
Mountain Pose, then arms move out and up into an
Upward Salute, then I swan dive into a
Forward Bend, up into a
Standing Half Forward Bend, then I place the left leg back into a
lunge then the right leg back into a
plank then I move down onto knees into
knees, chest, chin/Ashtanga Namaskara or chaturanga up into
cobra, then I push back into
downward dog, I stay here longer than any other pose.  I breath.  Then I bring my right leg forward, so I am in a
lunge, then I bring my left leg forward then I
forward bend, then I come up a little into
Standing Half Forward Bend then lift my arms out and up as I rise into an
Upward Salute which I consider the start of the right sun salutation.  I go through the sequences again this time place my right leg back into the lunge.  When it is time to lunge again, I bring my left leg forward.

I find that as I move through the salutation, I like to change my Upward Salutes into more of a little back bend.  Only bending back as I warm up and it feels good.

Since this is my Sun Salutation, and I am not worshiping the sun . . . in fact I don’t even think of the sun at all, I just do it my way.  I do it in the way I feel like doing it that day.  Sometimes I time it with my breath inhaling on this move and exhaling on that move, sometimes I stay in each pose longer and while I am aware of my breath my movements are not dictated by it.  I do somewhat feel that is WAAAAAY contrary to the way it is “supposed” to be done, but then again it is MY movement.  It is MY practice.  It is MY meditation.  So I do it the way MY body feels like doing it that day.  I don’t usually decide how I am going to do it when I begin, I just begin and however I seem to move is how I do it that day at that time.  Sometimes I even time it to the music I am listening too.  Sometimes, unfortunately, I am in a hurry and I just want to get a few in so I do them.  It all depends.  That is why I think it is nice because YOU can do it how you want to do it to match the reason you are doing it.  After doing at least six, I end with the Mountain Post and the Anjali mudra.

Do you do a version of the Sun Salutation?  What asanas do you include in your salute?

Posted in Yoga/PiYo/Pilates | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Goodie Jar – Check In #14

Posted by terrepruitt on May 3, 2013

It’s Friday.  That means a lot of things, huh?  One think it means over here on Terre Pruitt’s Blog is Goodie Jar check in!  Are you filling up that jar with all the good things going on in your life?  Believe me, I know that some times there are things that are not good and we can let them take over our outlook, our attitudes, our lives OR we can find the good things.  I really cannot deny the good even where there are not good things.  Even if I have to turn to my friends to celebrate their good things . . . . there are good things!

But . . . that is my belief and how I feel about things.  I think there is ALWAYS something at least one good thing about . . . so I choose to focus on that/them.  And since they are good I am writing them down and putting them in a jar!  I actually put at least three good things in my jar this week and only one of them was Nia related.  LOL!

How are you doing?  Do you have the “good thing” attitude?

Posted in Good Things in the Goodie Jar | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Body Facts

Posted by terrepruitt on May 2, 2013

Sometimes when I am looking for information about something, I find information about other things.  Sometimes one little piece of information makes me curious and so I go looking to check on it and then I find other things that have me curious.  Sometimes it takes me a long time to write a post.  I get into a mode where I am just looking at more stuff and more stuff.  Fascinating.  And as I always say about the internet if you find one thing to support something you will find another thing that doesn’t.  Sometimes it is frustrating because you don’t know what to believe.  But somethings are nice in that they are general facts and not too many people are going to argue with them.  I was on my way to learn something and found out these things in the process:

—The esophagus is approximately 10 inches long.

—The esophagus is about the diameter of a quarter.

—The “walls” of the esophagus is about the width of three pennies.

—Adults eat about 1102.31 pounds of food a year.

—There is a bone that is hardly larger than a grain of rice.  It is in the ear.

—The smallest muscle is an ear muscle, the stapedius

—Ears and the end of the nose are made up of cartilage.

—It takes fewer muscles to smile than frown, 20 versus 40.

—The sartorius is the longest muscle in the body.  It rotates the thigh outwards and bends the knee as it runs down from the outside of the hip to the inside of the knee.

—There are about 5 million red blood cells, 300,000 platelets, and 10,000 white blood cells in a tiny drop of blood.

—Red blood cells, which carry oxygen to the tissues

—Platelets, smaller cells that help blood to clot

—White blood cells, which fight infections

—It takes about one minute for red blood cells to circle the whole body.

—Red blood cells make about 250,000 round trips of the body before they die.

—Red blood cells live about four months.

—The right lung is slightly larger than the left.

—The skin secretes antibacterial substances.  These substances explain why you don’t wake up in the mornings with a layer of mold growing on your skin.

—The spinal cord is approximately 15 or so inches to 19 or so inches long.

—The spinal cord is about 2.54 to 3 (or so inches) in diameter.

—The spinal cord is a cylindrical structure of nervous tissue composed of white and gray matter.

Some things you learn and then forget so it is interesting to happen upon the facts again.  Or when having a discussion with someone you find yourself looking things up to help further the discussion.  Either way to me it is fascinating. I have shared my fascination before in my post Human Body Fantastic you can check that out by clicking here if you want.  It has different body facts.

I gathered the facts noted in this post from Body Worlds 2 body fact sheet, the University of South Florida’s website, and Neuroscience Online.

Well, maybe you learned something.  Maybe you didn’t.  Maybe you were reminded by of something.  Either way, I hope you were fascinated.

Don’t you find the body amazing?

Posted in Misc | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

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